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www.us- tech.com


August, 2019


A Shortage We Can’t Afford: Mission Critical Rad-Hard FPGA Components


By Michael Skinner, Editor


one that could cripple the entire defense and aerospace industry? What if the actual consequences were planes grounded, rockets unable to launch and warships stranded dockside? It may sound like science fiction, but it is not. A disrup- tion in the production cycle of radia- tion-hardened field programmable gate arrays (rad-hard FPGAs) could very well happen.


W


FPGA Supply An FPGA is an integrated cir-


cuit (IC) with modifiable logic and memory blocks configurable by cus- tomers in the field. These devices are ideal for space and military applica- tions to reduce cost and improve design cycle times. Rad-hard FPGAs can withstand attacks from electro- magnetic and particle radiation in outer space and high-altitude flight missions. Leading makers of rad-hard


FPGAs all depend on one subcontrac- tor to provide services to attach cop- per wrapped solder columns, a sim- ple but necessary subcomponent in the assembly of FPGA packages. Fortunately, the semiconductor


industry has weathered disasters in the past at key component manufac- turing facilities caused by fire, flood, wind, and explosion, because multiple vendors quickly stepped in to fill a void in the supply chain. But, in this case, there is only one subcontractor providing copper wrap solder column attachment services on the Qualified Manufacturer List (QML) for the entire rad-hard FPGA industry. Could the defense industry be


at risk if a single location supplier of mission critical components, such as copper wrapped solder columns, were suddenly to cease operations? The answer is yes. What if said sole- source supplier were legally acquired by a hostile foreign actor? That new owner could raise prices or move pro- duction off-shore, perhaps to China. Like the domino effect, a facility relo- cation could result in a loss of QML status. An acquisition under such circumstances might be considered an assault on the entire FPGA com- munity.


Dependence on a sole source for attaching copper-wrapped


solder columns is risky and could have wide-ranging effects for U.S. defense and aerospace industries.


process of attaining QML status to attach columns to rad-hard FPGA packages according to MIL-PRF- 38534 requirements. A prolonged production line shutdown of rad-hard FPGA devices could even trigger a national security emergency. The potential for trouble is exponential. Missed delivery of rad-hard


FPGA devices, due to a lack of solder columns, would affect hundreds of EMS assembly companies that require on-time delivery to assemble circuit boards and black boxes. This would not be taken lightly by prime contractors, such as Boeing, Lock - heed Martin, Northrop Grumman, L3, Harris, Raytheon, and others.


Potential Supply Crisis Solder columns are not avail-


able from catalog distributors, such as Mouser or Digi-Key. Is a potential FPGA production shutdown, as a consequence of the demise of a sole- source supplier, preventable? The solution seems simple


enough. FPGA device makers can take action to mitigate risk by quali- fying multiple vendors for critical components, such as column attach- ment services. The combined cost for the


world’s FPGA makers to reduce this risk is nominal compared to waiting for a disaster to strike, potentially costing the defense industry hun- dreds of millions of dollars.


Copper-wrapped solder columns are used to relieve CTE mismatch stress between CCGA packages and PCBs.


Continued on page 55


tractor for the critical assembly step of attaching copper wrapped solder columns. All the world’s rad-hard FPGA


makers are publicly traded compa- nies: BAE Systems, Cobham, Infineon (who recently acquired


hat if a sudden global short- age of a critical electronic component were to occur,


It does not stop there. It might


take up to 24 months for a new sub- contractor to undergo the rigorous


Perhaps producers of FPGA


devices may not be aware of the risk of depending on a monopoly subcon-


Cypress), Honeywell, Microchip, Teledyne, Texas Instruments, and Xilinx. Only BAE does not rely exclu- sively on the attachment of copper- wrapped columns. An interesting question could be


asked about whether publicly traded companies have been sufficiently diligent in disclosing their risk in documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Why would the U.S. Depart -


ment of Defense (DoD) allow indus- try dependency on services from a sole, single-location subcontractor if FPGA devices are so critical to the welfare of national security?


Mitigating Risk The answer is addressed in doc-


ument SD-22, titled, “Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and Material Shortages (DMSMS), a Guidebook of Best Practices for Implementing a Robust DMSMS Management Pro - gram,” published by the Defense Standardization Program Office. The DMSMS guidebook pres-


ents the concerns and recommended remedies to mitigate the risks of loss,


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